Great Satisfaction In Giving

by Holly Gordon

Stephen Spence wasn't originally going to donate school
supplies to the New Educational Centre for Hope (NECH), a school
in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania. He had initially purchased
the supplies to send them to a coworker who was in Afghanistan
with the Canadian Armed Forces. The coworker was going to
distribute the supplies in Afghanistan as a care package.

However, Stephen didn't get the package sent before his
coworker's contract ended, so the supplies simply sat
around. Luckily for the students at NECH, a school where free
education is provided to girls and HIV/AIDS orphans,
Stephen's work with RESPECT brought him to
their aid.

Stephen first met Marc Schaeffer, RESPECT International's
coordinator, about ten years ago when Marc was a math student teacher
at Stephen's High School.

In 2006, Stephen randomly ran into Marc at the Winnipeg Festival and
Marc told Stephen about RESPECT. At the time Stephen was interested in
becoming a journalist and jumped at the opportunity Marc presented him
to add to his portfolio while writing on matters he's been
interested in for a long time.

Stephen has written an article about cow breeding in Tanzania for
HIV/AIDS orphans. He has also written two reviews for
YouTube videos, one concerning some
of RESPECT's work in Guinea and the second mostly concerned with
the plight of refugees in Ghana and Uganda.

With his purchased supplies not yet helping anyone, Stephen read Ms.
Kay Adoshima's article about the donation of pens in RESPECT's
e-Zine and decided this was a perfect opportunity to make up for one
that had been lost.

NECH is a partner of RESPECT International in Tanzania and
participates in the refugee Global Letter Exchange Program conducted
by RESPECT.

After deciding to send his supplies to this school, Stephen went to
the post office and asked how much it would cost to ship the supplies
by surface mail - which takes approximately three to four weeks. The
answer: $20 CDN (about $19.08 USD and €14.01 EUR), an amount
Stephen says was surprisingly cheap for what he thought would cost
considerably more.

Although he is unsure if the supplies have arrived, Stephen says it
will make him feel great knowing they are being put to use by students
who truly need them. He thinks the students at NECH will appreciate
the supplies far more than those who are accustomed to easily obtaining
such materials and taking them for granted.

He also says that if he ever has the opportunity to travel to Tanzania
- or any other country RESPECT is involved with - he will take the
chance in a second. He adds that it has always been an ambition of his
to see Africa.

He thinks that anyone living in a First World country should, if
possible, try to view the Third and Second World first-hand to
understand the advantages and opportunities First World citizens have,
purely by chance of birth, as compared to other parts of the world.

For anyone considering donations, Stephen says it's probably far
less expensive than you think it might be, particularly considering
the sense of satisfaction that it gives for having done it. You can
donate through
RESPECT's online donation page or for more information
contact RESPECT directly at: